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From: fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: What means "chosen"?
Message-ID: <2573@unc.unc.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 11-Oct-85 17:36:03 EDT
Article-I.D.: unc.2573
Posted: Fri Oct 11 17:36:03 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 13-Oct-85 04:42:43 EDT
References: <101@unc.unc.UUCP> <486@ittvax.ATC.ITT.UUCP>
Reply-To: fsks@unc.UUCP (Frank Silbermann)
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Organization: CS Dept, U. of N. Carolina, Chapel Hill
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Summary: 


Re:  The meaning of Jews being G*ds "chosen" people.

Nigel Goddard writes:
>	The explanation I have heard friends goes like this:
>
> The Jews are the chosen people in that they have chosen to follow G*ds law.
>
>	This interpretation fits well with the more theological stuff I've
>	heard from rabbis, and obviously any convert, by choosing to become
>	a Jew, automatically joins the ranks of those who have chosen.

If this were the explanation, Jews should call themselves
the "choosing" people, instead of the "chosen" people.

Michael Schneider writes:
>
>	In the Torah, G-d gave two set of laws:
>
>	1) the 613 mitzvot that must be followed by Jews
>	2) the laws of Noach which must be followed by everybody.
>
>	We, the Jews, were chosen to be responsible for following
>	the full set of laws.

Does anybody have any guesses about G*d's motivation for making
such a distinction?  What would this imply about the differences
(if any) between G*d's relationship with the Jewish people,
as opposed to His relationship with gentile peoples?

	Frank Silbermann